Mount Hood

Dig a little deeper, Women’s Volleyball take home win to conclude their season

Hannah Greene  |  Sports Editor

Last week, Nov. 19 and 21, the Women’s Volleyball team played in their final games of the season. 

The Wolves started by playing against Concordia University — a team that beat them previously in season on Sept. 17.

Western’s only offense depended on their hitting, their percentage one of the best this season. During the first set, the Wolves gained a lead but fell shortly after, and the Cavaliers took the lead and carried it throughout the rest of that set.

Although the Wolves lost, there were multiple pivoting points throughout the match that gave the Cavaliers a run for their money.

The second set saw the Wolves hold the Cavaliers — until the Cavaliers broke out and scored 8 of the 10 points. Western had a hard time scoring due to Concordia’s strong defensive wall that continued to challenge the Wolves throughout the game.

Highlight player for the Wolves was Sianna DeCarli, a junior outside hitter, who had 11 kills — an attack by a player that is not returned by the receiving opponent, which leads directly to a point — the only Wolf that night to get more than four kills.

The second game was a sweet sendoff for the Wolves’ only senior player, Allyson Crisp.

Western took on Montana State University Billings on Nov. 21 for the Wolves’ senior game, and final game of their 2019 season.

Not only did this game end the Wolves’s season with a win, it sent their senior player, Crisp, to the Western Oregon record books.

The first set the Yellowjackets took the win, but not without the Wolves making a great comeback. The second set was a pepper of a match, with the Yellowjackets gaining and then falling to, to end with the Wolves ahead and their first set win.

The rest of the game saw the Wolves winning to have the Yellowjackets follow with a win — but in the end the Wolves dug dipper and pulled through to bring home their fifth win of the season.

An overall rough season for this Women’s Volleyball team that challenged and tested them every game — but a wonderful finish to leave the Wolves howling.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Opinion: In response to “It’s beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving”

Caity Healy  |  Managing Editor

I’d like to preface this by saying, yes, I am listening to Christmas music as I write this. But also, I’m looking at the Thanksgiving decorations up around my house, too. Because holiday mixing is a thing, folks. With that, let’s jump into this response.

In Issue 7, my editor-in-chief published an opinion piece titled “It’s beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving,” where she asserted that we should not jump straight from Halloween to Christmas, bypassing Thanksgiving. Let me say, the author is a wonderful and kind person, and I have the utmost respect for her and her opinions. That said — sorry Cora, I’ve got to disagree. Well, kind of.

Look, I love Thanksgiving. When I think of the holiday, I remember my childhood; I remember the tradition of my dad putting Christmas lights up on Thanksgiving morning so that it would be ready by the time guests arrived for dinner. I remember Christmas music playing through the house as the aroma of my mom’s cooking flooded our home. I remember getting up early to turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, watching with twinkling eyes as Santa waved to the crowd in his float.

Thanksgiving is what you make it. To my family, it was never a day completely separate from Christmas. My childhood memories of the two holidays blur together — and I love that. I love the warmth of celebrating both holidays at once; I love letting spirits ring for as long as possible.

Aside from my anecdotal experience, studies show that putting holiday decorations up early can actually make people happier. Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown told Unilad that “In a world full of stress and anxiety, people like to associate two things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of childhood.” 

Now, I do have some issues with this — it’s not always the feeling of childhood that people love, and the holiday isn’t always Christmas — but he gets the point. People often associate this time of year with happy memories or feelings, so let them. His statement has been confirmed by other scientists, such as psychologist Deborah Serani.

Overall, I get what Cora’s piece was saying. I just think it should be tweaked a little. My opinion is simply let people celebrate what makes them happy. If you prefer going all out for Thanksgiving, do it. If you prefer treating Thanksgiving as a pregame to the holidays, you do you. In a time when there’s limited opportunities to take time and do what actually makes you happy, I think we should let people take advantage of this opportunity. Let people celebrate holidays in a way that truly makes them happy.

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Opinion: The right time to die

Rachel Hetzel  |  Designer

One of the crucial aspects of science and technology is to extend the human lifespan. Being born in the 1800s meant one could expect to live to a maximum of about 40 years. In the U.S. today, the average lifespan is 90 years and rising. According to the National Institute of Aging, our lifespans are increasing by about three months every year. 

Now, living longer may sound great to most people — and don’t get me wrong, I’m glad this is being researched and developed — but I think we need to consider the changes in quality of life, and what this means for elderly generations. 

According to the National Council on Aging, 80% of the elderly have at least one age-related disease, and 77% have two or more. Some of the most common ones are Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, dementia, depression and heart disease. Age is the main risk factor for many of these diseases; the older we grow, the higher our chances are of developing one or more of these problems. 

So what I’m getting at here is that maybe we shouldn’t be focusing on living longer. Personally, I’d like to die before I’m 80 — I want to die naturally, with my mind and memories intact.

My great grandma suffered from alzhemiers, dementia and other illnesses. We would visit her once a week over the course of several years. Eventually, she stopped remembering the last time we had been over. She would ask how deceased family members were doing, and wouldn’t really know or remember who we were. We would write her letters so she would have something to read and remember us by, but she would need someone else read them to her. I’m very thankful that I got to know my great grandma, but seeing her decline as she aged made me realize that I don’t want to have my life end in that state.

There comes a point when we need to decide if keeping someone alive is more cruel than helpful. And if it is cruel, that person needs to have options available to help them get out. Death with Dignity is an option for those who are terminally ill. It allows the patient to request  medication that will safely, and humanely kill them. Currently, the Death with Dignity law states that one must be terminally ill, and expected to die within six months in order to request the medication. I think this should be changed to also be available to people who are 80 or older. Suicide is alarmingly common amoungst seniors. According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, seniors make up 12% of our population, and 18% of suicides: which does not account for silent suicides, like starvation and overdose. 

Now, obviously not all seniors are miserable. Some have loving families, and live happily to the end of their lives. But for those who don’t, there needs to be an option. We should start focusing on improving the quality of life rather than length of life. Society views death as a negative thing or something to be avoided. But reality has shown us that there is indeed a right time for it, and perhaps we should try to embrace that rather than fight it.

 

Contact the author at rhetzel18@wou.edu

Campus Voices

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

 

Derian Hallberg (Major: ASL Studies, junior)

I’m thankful for how much progress I’ve made emotionally, mentally and physically. I grew a lot since my first year; I was a completely different person from today and never thought I’d get this far. So I’m thankful I was able to do that.

 

Darby Olsen (Major: ASL/English Interpreting, sophomore)

I am very thankful for my amazing family. Without their support, I would not be here at Western pursuing my degree and following my dreams.

 

Nick Denning (Major: English/Philosophy, sophomore)

I’m thankful for the foggy mornings because they’re very beautiful. I’m thankful for living in a place where there are so many nice people around, so you can have people to walk in those foggy mornings with you. Also that the term is almost over.

 

Josh Pautler (Major: English Studies/Writing, sophomore)

I am thankful for supportive parents, lovely classmates, and lit classes. 

 

Claire Graves (Major: Undecided/Exploratory, sophomore)

I am thankful for my mom, and for having such supportive friends that help me get through such hard stuff and build me up. I’m also thankful for french fries.

 

Carrie Thompkins (Major: ASL/English Interpreting, sophomore) 

I’m thankful for my friends’ and family’s support through all the rough times. I am also thankful for being able to have a roof over my head and food while maintaining my education.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@mail.wou.edu

Photos by Rylie Horrall

New Thai food truck joins food annex — Sav’s Thai Kitchen

Rylie Horrall  |  Lifestyle Editor

Sav’s Thai Kitchen is the latest addition to the growing food annex in Monmouth. Located at 152 Main St W, the new food truck has only been open since Nov. 9. It is owned and operated by Savannah Randolph, who initially started out with a Thai food blog and no kitchen.
Randolph originally worked in a pharmacy, but has always had a desire to have her own food truck or a small café. Recently, a possibility arose for her to open the food truck, and she seized the opportunity.
“I found out that my job was closing the company at the end of the year, and it was my wake up call to either try and start my business or just apply for another pharmacy job,” Randolph said. “So, I decided to take a chance with the food truck.”
She chose to open in Monmouth because she had just moved to the area but was disappointed that there were no Thai restaurants nearby. Randolph also loved the feel of the food annex, which solidified her decision to open here.
The decision to serve Thai food stemmed from Randolph’s time in Thailand as a child; she lived there for four years, and began cooking and perfecting her own Thai recipes since then.
“I really wanted to show people what authentic Thai food was like,” she said.
Currently, the menu at Sav’s Thai Kitchen does not rotate, but Randolph intends to once the truck has been open for a longer period of time. The plan is to keep the menu simple and change it every couple of days or so with new daily items. By doing this, Randolph believes that customers will then get a chance to try different kinds of dishes.
For first-time customers, Randolph recommends the Khao Man Gai, which is Thai marinated chicken over garlic ginger infused rice served with chicken broth soup and a special homemade sauce.

“(You) just can’t go wrong with it and you won’t see it at any other Thai restaurant nearby. In Thailand there were specific street food stalls that only sold this one dish,” Randolph added, due to the fact that the dish was so good.
The signature dish at the food truck is the fried rice, which can be bought regular or spicy ⏤ Khao Pad Gai or Khao Pad Krapow, respectfully. The Khao Pad Gai is jasmine rice with chicken, Chinese broccoli, onion and egg, while the Khao Pad Krapow is jasmine rice with chicken, chopped green beans, Thai basil, onion and chilies. Randolph recommends adding a side of Nam Pla Prik — fish sauce with chili peppers — because it adds to the dish.
Currently, Sav’s Thai Kitchen is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., or until the truck is sold out. Starting in January, the food truck’s hours will be changed and will most likely be open Tues–Sat.
Sav’s Thai Kitchen can be found on Facebook and Instagram at the handle @savsthai, along with their website savsthaikitchen.com.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

A sick care package to prevent illness during winter

Rylie Horrall  |  Lifestyle Editor

Winter is coming, and the weather isn’t the only cold thing that comes with it. When the temperatures drop, sickness season picks up, so here’s a sick care package to make for yourself, or as a gift for someone else, in case of illness.

 

  1. The easiest thing to throw in is a few cough drops, if not a small bag. You can toss in one brand, or mix it up with a variety of flavors from fruity to minty. 
  2. To solve any congestion issues, add in some anti-congestion or cold/flu medicine. Usually allergy medicine can work as well, but it entirely depends on how your body reacts to it. Either way, at least one of those options is best to have in there.
  3. Tissues are another must-have, as most illnesses include a runny nose in their symptoms. A little travel package works and doesn’t take up much space, however feel free to use a whole box of tissues if there’s enough room.
  4. Vitamins help to boost your immune system, so oranges would be a good inclusion based on the amount of vitamins in the fruit. Plus, if the sickness is hard on the stomach, the citrus fruit isn’t too acidic that it will upset an already distressed stomach. If fruit isn’t your forte, a can of soup for later is a good substitution. Orange bell peppers are also an acceptable substitution for a source of vitamin C.
  5. Finally, put in a beverage of your choice, whether it’s juice, packages of tea, Sprite or just plain water. Hot tea will feel nice for a sore throat, but juice works just as well for those who aren’t fans of tea. For those wanting something fizzy to help with an upset stomach, Sprite ⏤ or 7Up, Sierra Mist, pick your poison ⏤ aids in fixing an upset stomach.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@mail.wou.edu

Photos by Rylie Horrall

Try these inexpensive thrift stores nearby Monmouth

Rylie Horrall  |  Lifestyle Editor

For many college students, money can be a burden that weighs heavy on minds. Because of this, finding cheap options for household items and clothes is a welcome relief. For me, it feels rewarding to find thrift stores that sell these items at a reasonable price, and luckily there’s a few options near Western.

Help and Hope to Others, more commonly known as H2O, is located in Dallas at 451 SE Maple Street. It’s a secondhand non-profit thrift store that accepts donations from the surrounding community. It then sells everything they receive at much lower and affordable prices, and their stock is constantly changing based on what is donated.

Their mission statement expresses that they wish to help those in need, and the store itself has a few ways of helping the community. For example, they have food boxes available for families in need to pick up, and also have a Helping Hand program to provide household items that struggling families and individuals are looking for; both are programs that volunteers can help with. H2O is open from Mon–Sat from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

In Independence, there’s a thrift store located at 150 C St called Fashion Sense. It was initially open in Monmouth for about a year back in 2016, but moved into a larger space in Independence in 2017. In addition to clothes, Fashion Sense also buys back various furniture and home decor. They try to buy items from customers as much as they can, but due to the limited amount of space, try to pick out items that will sell the quickest. In addition, clothes that are being sold can be brought in bags and don’t have to be on hangers, but all commodities brought in should be cleaned and washed.

Everything that’s sold in the shop is at a low price point, and can be shipped once bought or held in store until it can be picked up. Fashion Sense is open from 12–6 p.m. on Monday and from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. on Tues–Sat. 

Robin’s Roost is a store located at 283 S 2nd St in Independence, but, according to their most recent post on Facebook, have begun closing their doors after nine years. They still remain open on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m.–6 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. to clear out inventory. Offers can still be made on their remaining stock; if one of their signs is out on the corners of the street, then they are still open.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

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